Forty Killed, 167 Missing In DR. Congo Boat Accident

Rescue workers are searching for 167 people still missing after their boat capsized in the democratic republic of Congo on Friday

More than 40 bodies have been recovered while 189 survivors were rescued after the boat sank in the Congo River.

The boat was overloaded with more than 300 passengers and cargo, said a civil society group involved in rescue and recovery efforts.

UN-linked Radio Okapi reports that the provincial government of Equateur, where the accident happened, said it would provide psychological support for children who were injured in the accident and lost their parents.

The radio station said that more than 40 bodies had been so far recovered but the local civil society organization, conscious generation, said that the number was 50.

Read Also:

Tourists Bus Plunges from Bridge, Killing 21 in Italy

The incident occurred on Friday, October 13, in the Congo River, near the town of Mbandaka — the capital of Équateur Province in DRC — located at about 700 km northeast of Kinshasa.

As per media reports, the boat in question was overloaded with more than 300 passengers and cargo, citing a civil society group involved in rescue and recovery efforts.

Of the passenger on onboard the ill-fated boat, 189 were rescued after the boat sank.

Officials were quoted as saying that the boat was sailing at night in breach of safety regulations.

Because of availability of few tarmac roads across DRC’s vast, forested territory, boats are a common mode of transport.

It is said that overloading, a lack of maintenance and travelling at night are among factors contributing to boat accidents in the country.